


Perfect Dates are Overrated

by harryhazzalou



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, a little angst probably, lots of swearing, several different AU's
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-01
Updated: 2015-04-09
Packaged: 2018-02-27 19:58:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2704688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harryhazzalou/pseuds/harryhazzalou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of short stories feat. Harry and Louis, following the prompts of the December fic challenge. One day, one chapter (hopefully).</p><p>Note:  yeah, that didn't happen at all, but I've not abandoned it completely.  I'm gonna keep writing, and probably adding chapters randomly, though i might deviate from the given holiday prompts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Harry takes Louis ice skating. Louis' not so sure it's a good idea.

“Harry, this is such a bad idea.” Louis said, from his spot where he was pouting on the bench. 

Harry just smiled and handed him the skates.

“Really, I’m not messing about, this is a terrible idea." He crossed his arms and refused to take the skates. 

“Babe, if you don’t take the skates, I’ll put them on for you.” Harry threatened.

“No. I refuse to strap blades to my feet and go out on a slippery surface with you, the klutz. I will not.” 

Harry just shrugged, getting down on his knees in front of his boyfriend. Or, his fiancé. Harry smiled to himself. He was just so happy even Louis’ childish antics couldn’t piss him off today. He was going on a romantic, ice-skating date with his brand new fiancé. He couldn’t even think the word without a ridiculous grin creeping on his face. He loosened the laces on the skates, as Louis glared at him from above.

“You really think this isn’t going to end with one of us in the hospital?” Louis asked.

“I really do. I promise, this is going to be romantic and fun and you’re going to love it.” Harry assured, grabbing Louis foot. Louis tried resisting, but Harry just pulled harder until Louis’ foot was in his lap. Louis slipped backward when Harry tugged his foot, almost falling off the bench. Harry laughed, and Louis scoffed in indignation.

“See, it’s already not going well.” 

“If you wouldn’t fight me it wouldn’t have happened.” Harry replied calmly, removing Louis’ shoe and sliding the bulky skate over his bare foot. “Although I admit it might have been a smart idea for you to wear socks today.” 

“Fuck off. This wasn’t my idea, I’m not going out of my way to help this happen in any way.” 

Harry finished lacing up the first skate and set it on the floor, reaching for Louis’ other foot. He didn’t reply to Louis, except to smile a little wider, his dimples starting to dent his cheeks. Louis could help but smile at how ridiculous and adorable his fiancé was. He shook his head and focused on the present issue. 

“Do you even know how to skate?” Louis questioned.

“Yes.” 

“When and where did you learn that?”

“From my Mum, as a kid. Did you really never go skating as a kid?” Harry asked, looking up as he tightened the laces on Louis foot.

“No, we couldn’t afford to take all the girls, and there’s no way we could have kept an eye on all of them at once.” Louis shrugged. 

Harry frowned. He always got sad when he thought about the childhood Louis missed out on, taking care of his four younger sisters. He had always been such a good son, helping his mother out and taking on more responsibility than any teenager should have to, just to make things easier for her. Harry figured that it was Louis’ turn to be taken care of, and Harry was more than happy to do it. And today, he was going to take care of Louis by teaching him to skate, an important life skill. Or something. He set Louis’ other foot on the ground, patting his knees.

“You ready?” 

Louis wanted to say no, to protest some more, but Harry’s stupid pretty face just looked so hopeful and cheery, that he sighed and held out his hands.

“Help me up then, prince charming.” 

Harry grinned and pulled Louis to his feet, only he was a little too excited, and he pulled too hard, and Louis ended up falling into Harry, almost knocking the both of them to the floor. Harry just smiled again, wrapping his arms around Louis and kissing him.

“You’re so annoying.” Louis mumbled against Harry’s lips, but Harry could feel his reluctant smile. 

They separated from the embrace, but Harry grabbed Louis’ hand and led him out to the empty rink before Louis could change his mind. Harry had rented out the entire arena so they wouldn’t have to worry about privacy, and Louis couldn’t complain about any PDA. Yes, it was a little ridiculous to rent out an entire ice rink for a date, but sometimes Harry just wanted to be with his boyfriend (fiancé), without having to worry about who was watching or taking pictures. This way, they could do what they wanted and not have to be constantly on watch for a iPhone or camera lens pointed at them. They could relax and just enjoy the others’ company. Or Harry could enjoy it, while Louis continued to try to keep the pout on his face. It was a losing battle, Harry knew he would get Louis to have fun, no matter how stubborn Louis was being. 

Harry stepped out on the ice, turning to face Louis, who was once again crossing his arms and refusing to cooperate. 

“Don’t make me carry you onto the ice. Come on.” Harry reached out, pulling Louis’ hand out and tugging gently. “You have to actually step onto the ice to skate, you know.”

“You’re lucky you’re pretty.” Louis said, but he stepped onto the ice anyway. His ankle wobbled a little, but held his weight. He tightened his grip on Harry’s hand, and grabbed the wall next to him as he stepped his other foot out. “This is such a bad idea, terrible idea, really genuinely terrible. I’m gonna die, you’re gonna die, we’re all gonna die.” Louis mumbled to himself as he let go of the wall. He stood awkwardly on the ice, not moving his feet. 

“Babe?” Harry asked, shaking Louis’ hand to get him to look up from where he was staring at his skates, as if glaring would cause them to move. “You gonna move?”

“Hang on.” Louis said, grabbing Harry’s wrist with his free hand. “I’m focusing my concentration.” 

Slowly, Louis started to move one of his feet towards Harry. His skate skipped across the ice, quick and stiff, throwing Louis’ balance off.

“Shit.” Louis huffed, his hand shifting from Harry’s wrist to his shoulder, and his legs stiffened, stilling his skates again. “No, I can’t do this. Take me back to land.” 

Harry just laughed and grabbed Louis’ hand from his shoulder, so he was holding each of Louis’ hands in his, and they were facing each other. Only Louis was still staring at his feet. 

“Look at me, Louis.” Harry said, squeezing Louis’ hands in his, waiting for his fiancé to look up. When he had Louis eyes on his, he smiled his most persuasive, calming smile (It was pretty good, also Louis was a sucker for Harry and they both knew it). “Trust me. I will show you how to skate. Ok?” He asked slowly, like he was talking to a child. Louis just scoffed again and nodded. He looked back down to his feet, but didn’t try moving them again.

Harry started gently coaching Louis, slowly getting him to move his feet forward. They eventually made their way around the rink, one push at a time. Louis was still moving awkwardly, but as he relaxed and his muscles loosened, his skating started to improve. Harry stopped pulling him and let go of one of his hands to skate next to him. Louis looked at him in panic, but Harry reassured him that he could do it. Louis mumbled about not being a child again, and Harry chuckled calmly again. They made a second trip around the ice, a little faster this time. Harry was pretty proud that he’d managed not to laugh at Louis ridiculousness, his movements still timid even though he’d been skating just fine for ten minutes and hadn’t even come close to falling. 

“Alright, I think you’ve got this down. Wanna try skating on your own?” Harry asked, moving to pull his hand from Louis grip. Except he couldn’t because Louis grabbed on to him tighter, shaking his head. 

“Harry, I love you, but I think I’ve had enough ice skating. Yay, we had a romantic, fun time, now let’s go sit on solid ground and drink hot chocolate and celebrate not falling on our asses, yeah?” 

Louis was bordering on hysterical, and Harry was trying so hard not to let the fond expression control his face. Harry slowly loosened Louis grip, pulling his hand free. He skated backwards a few steps, and beckoned Louis with his hands. Louis glared, but he shifted his feet, starting to push himself towards Harry. He started out fine, so Harry pushed back a little farther, grinning at Louis’ exasperated expression. 

“Honestly Harold, you’re making this difficult for no reason.” 

Louis pushed a little harder, trying to reach his fiancé a little faster. Only, his back foot got caught on the ice, and he stumbled. The ice was rushing to his face, so he pulled his foot forward to try and catch himself, but he ended up just sort of pushing himself forward, launching himself while still falling in Harry’s direction. It happened so fast he didn’t even have time to yell a curse as he landed, face first and limbs flailing, on the ice. 

“Fuck.” Louis mumbled from where he was now laying on the ice. He could hear Harry skating to him, his skates scraping the ice quickly and efficiently. “I do not approve of activities where you are better than me. From now on, we’re sticking to football for our sports dates.” 

“Louis, I’m sorry, are you ok? That looked painful.” Harry crouched next to Louis, rubbing a hand up his back, trying not to laugh. “But graceful. It looked painfully graceful, really.” He joked. That, at least, got Louis to lift his head to look at him.

“You’re not funny.” Louis deadpanned, turning his face back to the ice. “Carry me. I’m not getting back up.” 

Harry laughed at that, a loud bark that echoed around the arena. He helped Louis up, and they joined hands again, going back to the pace they had started with. 

“How long do we have to do this for?” 

“Until you admit you’re having fun.” 

Louis smiled at that, a big fake grin covering his face. 

“I am, darling. So much fun I can’t even handle it.” The smile dropped. “Are we done now?” 

Harry giggled. Even when Louis was annoyed and mocking, Harry still thought he was funny. Louis was just one of those people that could make anything funny, even when he wasn’t trying. Harry was so glad he got to marry him. They were gonna be married. 

“What. Why are you grinning like that. What are you doing.” Louis asked.

“Just really happy.” Harry shrugged, pulling Louis further across the ice. They skated a little longer, laughing and joking as they always did. Harry even managed to make Louis genuinely laugh, when he tried to do a spin and ended up flat-out on the ice. His head was a little sore from where it hit the ice, but it was worth it to see Louis having fun. 

Harry decided to call it when Louis resorted to distracting him from the skating by kissing him. They ended up standing on the ice making out, until Harry realized his toes were going numb. Then he remember Louis wasn’t wearing socks, and his feet were probably blue from the cold.

“Alright, I think I’ve accomplished my goal.” Harry said, pulling out of the kiss. “We can go cuddle and drink hot cocoa now.” 

“Yes!” Louis yelled, throwing his fists in the air in celebration. “Finally! God I’m so ready to be done with this ridiculous thing. Winter sports are the dumbest I swear.” Louis pushed his skates in the direction of the gate, ready to get off the ice and out of these awful contraptions. “I hope you’re proud of yourself, torturing your fiancé for a whole day with this awful idea.” He called back over his shoulder. He heard Harry laugh behind him, and he went to turn to scowl at him, but his feet didn’t complete the turn and he fell backwards onto the ice, definitely bruising his bum. “Ugh!” he yelled. “Fuck this shit! So done! My ass will be sore for a week!” 

Harry just laughed as he skated over to help him up. “Want me to kiss it better?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Thanks for reading. This is my first time posting my writing here, and I'm very nervous! I'd love to hear what you thought, feedback is always appreciated. (I also am not fond of writing fluff, so if it's terrible, that's probably why). I also apologize for any grammatical errors, I hate editing, and don't have anyone to beta for me (hint hint any volunteers?).
> 
> Thanks again for stopping by, please come say hi on tumblr (http://harryhazzalou.tumblr.com/) Much love!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> High school AU - Harry and Louis are secretly a couple, and it's getting more and more difficult to keep that secret. (Prompt: Mistletoe)

Harry drummed his fingers against the wheel as he drove his truck through the snow to school. He was torn between feeling dread and excitement. On the one hand, he was heading into school, a daily torture of boring (and sometimes cruel) teachers, bored and vindictive peers, and tedium. On the other hand, he would get to see his boyfriend. Louis was Harry’s favorite part of anything, and even though he’d only seen him a few hours ago (when Louis had snuck out of Harry’s room at one in the morning), Harry missed him and couldn’t wait to see him again. 

Of course, seeing him at school was always hard. Louis, while lovely, was a bit concerned about what other people thought. He was Harry’s boyfriend, had been for a few months now, but said he wasn’t ready to be ‘out’ at school yet. Harry already was, which meant that Louis went out of his way to prevent any rumors that might come from the two of them being seen together. That meant no hugging, no kissing, and absolutely no handholding. For Harry, seeing Louis every day and not touching him bordered on torture. It was annoying, yes. But Harry would resist the temptation to kiss Louis at school, as long as he could get as much of those soft, perfect lips as he wanted in private. Which was a lot, to be fair. And sometimes Louis would skip class with Harry for a quick snog in the toilets, that helped. 

Harry also had to admit that Louis had valid reasons for not wanting to be out at school. Harry did get called names on a regular basis (read: between every class) and the worst was the football team. Since Louis was the captain, Harry could understand not wanting them to know. It would be hard, but Harry was still working on convincing Louis it would be worth it. And maybe it was a little bit selfish, because he really just wanted people to know that Louis was his, that he had a claim on the beautiful boy. He was a bit proud. 

So Harry got out of his truck, sighing as he walked up to the oppressive brick building, mentally preparing himself for another day of the same. He made it through most days by tuning out his teachers’ boring lectures in favor of daydreaming about all the things he and Louis would do together when they finally go public with their relationship. Things like heated kissing against the lockers between classes. Holding hands as they walked down the hall, glaring at the assholes that hassled Harry on a daily basis together. Even just seeing Louis smile back when Harry smiled at him from across the biology lab. 

Harry was pulled from his fantasy as the bell rang, signaling lunch. Lunch was the best and the worst part of Harry’s day. Louis usually sat with his jock friends, and Harry would sit with his friends Zayn and Niall. They were all artistic types, which was pretty much all they had in common. Zayn was quiet, liked to paint, and kept mostly to himself. He was mostly indifferent to the company he kept, would probably still sit silently and sketch whether or not there was anyone sitting with him. Niall was his polar opposite, bursting with energy and always singing or playing his guitar (which he somehow managed to carry with him everywhere, even sometimes to class). He was loud and obnoxiously pleasant to be around. He didn’t really care who was around him, as long as there was someone there for him to share his enthusiasm with. Harry was the balance between the two, sometimes singing along with Niall and sometimes quietly writing lyrics in his journal with Zayn. The two of them were Harry’s closest friends, besides Louis. They knew about Harry and Louis (with Louis’ express permission) but were sworn to complete secrecy. As in, they weren’t even allowed to allude to it at school. They had been subject to enough of Harry’s whining sessions about the whole situation outside of school that they preferred not to talk about it all, so it worked out. 

Harry gazed around the cafeteria, not really looking at people to avoid staring fondly at Louis, mostly taking in the decorations for the winter ball that had been put up earlier that week. The winter ball, which happened every year before Christmas, was the only dance that was held in the actual school building. This year, they had gone all-out with the decorations, putting up garlands along all the hallways, trees in all the common areas, and even lights up along the lockers. It was a bit ridiculous, but Harry couldn’t deny that he loved the atmosphere. As an admitted romantic, the mood lighting in the school only made it harder to fight against the urge to do things with Louis that would get him in trouble. He shook his head, refocusing on whatever Niall was saying about some small show he was going to that weekend. 

“Sorry, what was that?” Harry asked Niall, who just continued unperturbed. He was used to Harry’s woolgathering by now.

“I was saying, there’s this show at this pub I can get us into, I know the lad who guards the door there, I can totally get us in.” 

“Like last time? When they threw us out before we even reached the door? Niall, if you know them then they know you’re underage, they’re not gonna let you in.” Harry scolded, crossing his arms. He wasn’t about to get caught out going along with one of Niall’s crazy schemes again.

“Nah, mate. Not like last time. I’ve asked the guy if he would let me in, he assured me it would be cool. Promise. Plus, if you go along, you have an excuse to skip the dance!” Niall offered, like it was the best idea ever. 

It was probably a better idea than going to the dance, which Harry had been dreading almost as much as he dreaded school every day. See, he loved romance, music, dancing, and an excuse to dress up and woo someone more than anybody, but he wouldn’t have a chance to woo the one person he wanted to, because Louis had a date. With a girl. In order to keep up his entirely straight appearance, Louis had asked a girl to the dance. They were going strictly as friends (so Harry had been assured, which was the only reason he had agreed to it at all), but that meant Harry had to go stag. He refused to bring a date, when the one person he was interested in wouldn’t admit his affection in public. And that stung. So Niall, being a good friend, was offering Harry an out. It was tempting. 

“Who’s playing?” 

“Ah, yeah, I don’t actually know.” 

If Niall didn’t even know the band, they must be terrible. So now Harry had the options of going to the dance to watch his boyfriend dance the night away with someone else, or going to some pub with Niall and spending the night choking on smoke while some terrible band slaughtered some covers on a tiny stage. Not a great selection of choices, really. 

“I dunno. Sounds dull.” Harry shrugged, pushing his soggy food around his tray. 

“Harry, mate, it can’t be worse than torturing yourself by goin’ to the dance.” 

“I think Niall’s right, man.” Zayn added, causing both Harry and Niall to face him in surprise. 

“Well maybe you should go with him then.” 

“I’d rather go to some obscure show than the social drinking bullshit this school calls a dance.” 

“Alright! Zayn’s in!” Niall thrust his fist in the air in victory. “Harry mate, you gotta come now.” 

“I’ll think about it.” Harry stood, grabbing his tray and clearing out of the crowded cafeteria, hoping to get to the library for his free period before the rush of students clogged the halls. 

He was just getting to his locker when he heard soft footsteps jogging towards him. Harry turned, already smiling before he even saw Louis. 

“Hello.” Harry greeted, quickly glancing around. He spotted a teacher a few doors away, which meant Louis wouldn’t want to be greeted with a kiss as well. Harry swallowed his disappointment and just settled for patting Louis on the shoulder, quickly stroking it with his thumb, hopefully subtle enough. 

Louis shrugged his hand off, but he had a gentle expression on his face.

“Hey. Y’alright? You looked unhappy when you left just now.”

Harry just shrugged, letting his smile drop. Louis never bought his fake smiles anyway, but he didn’t really want to tell Louis how much Louis’ date for the dance was bugging him, it made him feel weak. 

“Love,” Louis spoke so softly even Harry could barely hear him, just to be safe, “missed you today.” Louis looked up at Harry (it bothered Louis to no end that Harry was barely taller than him), and Harry felt his face smile in response to Louis’ beautiful face. It never failed, Louis could always cheer Harry up with just a look or a few words. That made him feel weak, too. 

“Missed you too.” Harry whispered. “Just another boring day, wish it was the weekend.” He turned, reaching into his locker for a book, just to keep himself from leaning in to touch Louis.

“Me too. Really. I’ll see you at yours after school, yeah?” Louis asked, looking around and throwing a wink and and a wave to a couple of girls that walked past. Harry scowled into his locker. 

“Yeah. Later.” Harry nearly growled, nearly slamming his locker and walking towards the library. Louis knew exactly how it made Harry feel when he flirted with girls when Harry was standing right there, but Louis insisted it was his persona, and if he suddenly stopped doing it, people would start to question why. Harry didn’t see how it mattered. 

He heard Louis sigh as he walked away, but Louis didn’t call out or stop him, he just let Harry storm off. Today was one of Harry’s bad days. But as angry as he was at Louis now, he knew he would forgive him as soon as Louis apologized and used his best sad puppy dog look. It worked every time, and was deadly effective. Also Louis sent a sappy apology text, telling Harry all the places he wanted to kiss and touch him, while Harry was sitting and pouting in the library. 

Later that day, when they were lounging on Harry’s couch, watching crappy game shows on TV and tossing trail mix into each other’s mouths, Louis apologized again and kissed Harry sweet and soft, and Harry confessed he was never really mad at Louis, just frustrated at the situation. He just wasn’t sure how much longer he could continue to tolerate it. He didn’t say that part out loud though, not wanting to worry his boyfriend. Louis was already feeling guilty about the dance, and stressed about a game they had the following week against their rivals, so Harry just accepted the apology, and reassured Louis that they were fine, as long as nothing had to change between them when they were alone. As long as Louis could show Harry how much he cared, that was all Harry needed. For now. 

The rest of the week was better, and worse. Louis actually sat by Harry at lunch the next day, but spent most of the time joking with Niall and bugging Zayn to show him was the quieter lad was drawing, almost ignoring Harry for fear of seeming to affectionate. He stopped to talk to Harry by his locker a few times, but would leave as soon as his football mates appeared. Of course as soon as Louis disappeared they started to mock and jeer, calling Harry terrible things, and even had his books pushed from his arms once (something they would never dare do in front of their team captain, and Harry didn’t know how to tell Louis what was happening without sounding like a pathetic loser who couldn’t handle a few bullies, so Louis had no idea what they were like when he wasn’t there). 

On Friday Harry tried to get his Mom to let him stay home sick, but with no luck. He dragged himself around the hallways, with a heavy heart and a pounding headache. And he still hadn’t made a decision about the dance the following night. Louis insisted that he wanted Harry to come, even though Harry insisted he didn’t need to be there to watch Louis get drunk with his football ‘friends’ and flirt with all the girls in too-tight dresses. Niall kept trying to push Harry to come to the pub show, but Harry was leaning towards staying home alone, watching Love Actually and absolutely not crying into a pint of the store’s finest ice cream. 

Harry was still undecided, and by lunchtime on Friday, Niall had changed his tune and was suddenly trying to convince Harry to go to the dance.

“Mate, I think it’s an essential school experience, ya know?” Niall mused, strumming the air without his ever-present guitar. 

“Not what you said last week. Where’s your guitar, anyway?” Harry asked to change the subject.

“Uh, lost it. Definitely not being held hostage.” Niall shifted uncomfortably. “So about this dance thing.”

Harry groaned, covering his eyes with his arm. “Let it go, Niall. I’m tired of hearing everyone else’s opinion about what I should do with my Saturday night. Just forget it.”

“But what’s more fun than going to watch the jocks get drunk and make idiots of themselves on the dance floor as they fail to get laid? Really, sounds like heaven.”

“What the hell are you even on about?” 

“I just think you should go, ‘s’all.” 

“Why?” Harry asked, suddenly very suspicious. He dropped his arm to lean forward and examine Niall.

“I dunno.” Niall slouched, focusing intently on his food.

“Niall. Why do you suddenly think I should go to the dance? Wait, who’s holding your guitar hostage?” 

Niall continued to stare at his food, but glanced up briefly across the room. Harry turned to see where he was looking, and he immediately saw Louis, who was blatantly staring at him from across the cafeteria. Harry met his eyes for a few seconds, confused, before he turned back to Niall.

“Did Louis take your guitar!?” Harry asked in disbelief. Niall nodded. “What? Why?” Harry looked back at Louis again, but Louis was trying to look like he wasn’t staring at Harry now, throwing himself into teasing one of the players at his table.   
“Harry, think for a second, Christ. Louis wants you to go to the dance, yeah?” Zayn spoke up. He didn’t speak often, so it tended to be important when he did. Harry still couldn’t see what Zayn was getting at.

“Yeah, but then why did he take-“

“Listen, Louis wants you to go. Niall doesn’t. What would Louis do to get Niall to stop telling you not to go? It’s not that hard, idiot.” Zayn finished and turned back to his sketch of a dragon. Harry stared at him, slightly flabbergasted. He didn’t even know that Zayn listened to their conversations, much less how he managed to figure that out before Harry did.

“That doesn’t even- I can’t believe he would- Is that true, Niall?” Harry turned to Niall. 

Niall just shrugged, guilty.

“Unbelievable. He can’t convince me to come on his own, so he turns to using dirty tricks on my friends. That son of a bitch.” Harry muttered, prepared to do a full storm off.

“Harry, wait. It’s not just- Can you just listen?” Niall sounded pleading, so Harry turned back reluctantly. He gestured for Niall to continue. “I think- I really think you should go to the dance. Yes, Louis is a little shit who pulled a dick move taking my guitar, but I’ll deal with it.” 

Harry scoffed and shook his head. “It’s too far, messing with my friends’ stuff.” 

“Listen mate, it’s sweet that you care, but I’ll deal with him for that. Just, he told me something, and I honestly changed my mind. I really think you’ll be happier if you go to the dance.” 

Harry wanted to refuse and storm off, but Niall looked so genuine, and Louis was still resisting staring at him from across the room. Harry looked at Zayn, who was actually looking up from his drawing for once, and he shrugged. Very helpful. Harry sighed deeply. He was a sucker for his boyfriend, that’s for sure. It was almost sad.

“Fine. I’ll go. But I’m not paying for my own fuckin’ ticket.” Harry grumbled, standing to leave. 

“You won’t regret it, mate.” Niall called after him. 

Harry tried not to spend the rest of the day wondering what possible reason Louis could have for wanting him to come to the dance so badly. He tried, but he did not succeed. By the time school was over, and he was driving over to pick Louis up from his house (Louis couldn’t even ride home with a friend without spurring on rumors? Honestly), Harry was equally prepared to tear into Louis for actually stealing Niall’s property and being a dick, and to interrogate him about what was so special about this dance that Harry needed to be there, but not as Louis’ date. Before he could even get to Louis’ house, however, Louis was calling him. Harry carefully answered the phone while maneuvering the streets between their houses.

“What, you couldn’t wait the five minutes until I get there?” Harry answered the call.

“Sorry man, change of plans.” Harry heard the sound of other guys laughing over Louis’ voice, meaning Louis had decided to tag along with his football buddies instead of going home to meet Harry, like they always did. Harry barely resisted the urge to growl. Louis acting like a dick at school was one thing, but he had never canceled plans with Harry to hang out with his jock friends. 

“So what, now you’re gonna ditch me the entire weekend?” 

“No, it’s not like that, sorry. It’s just, some of the guys threw together a little part tonight, let off a little steam, you know?” Louis soothed, and Harry could actually hear the change in Louis’ tone as he closed a door, separating him from his awful friends. “I’ll not be out late, and I’ll come over to yours as soon as I can. I’ll see you in a few hours, promise. I’m really sorry Harry, I swear I wouldn’t-“

“Whatever. I’ll see you when you’re done being a fucking idiot.” Harry ended the call, tossing the phone to the passenger seat and punching the steering wheel in frustration. He turned a little aggressively, barely missing a stop sign. His phone beeped with what Harry knew was another sappy apology text from Louis, but he ignored it, deciding to blow off some steam himself. He lowered the windows, ignoring the bitter cold, and cranked his ‘Angry’ playlist, just driving around and singing at the top of his lungs, letting his emotions out in the soothing screams of his favorite bands. 

It helped a little, by the time he arrived home he was calm enough to sincerely apologize to his mother for not calling to say he wasn’t coming home. He grabbed some cold pizza to go eat in his room. When he was settled in his bed, munching on his dinner, he finally opened the string of texts from Louis, each more apologetic than the last. The final text, sent less than five minutes ago, was asking Harry if he was still planning to come to the dance tomorrow. Apparently Louis had bought Harry a ticket. Harry typed up a brisk response, telling Louis not to come over tonight, but that he’d show up to the dance tomorrow. Then he turned off his phone.

He felt a little guilty, he’d never gone an entire night without forgiving Louis before, not when Louis was trying to hard to apologize. But Harry was getting really tired of this cycle of Louis being a rude dick followed by endless apologies. It wasn’t enough any more. Harry briefly thought about whether he could do this any more. He genuinely considered breaking up with him, but felt a stab of pain at just the thought. He immediately ruled out that course of action. Too drastic. He needed to make Louis see how much he was hurting Harry. By the time he had watched four episodes of some show on Netflix, the answer still hadn’t come to him, and he went to sleep feeling as confused and unhappy as ever. 

The next night, Harry was surprised to find himself excited about the dance. As he readied his outfit (not a suit, but stylishly tight black pants and his nicest button-down shirt, with an eye-catching but not garishly bright scarf for his neck) and styled his hair (he tamed his curls into a quiff he was quite proud of) he felt anxious about spending hours trapped in the school with Louis, Louis’ date, and all the jocks who seemed personally offended by Harry’s very presence. Perhaps he should have found a date, it might be nice to have someone at his side, even if they were barely a shadow of the comfort Louis could give. Better than standing alone. 

Either way, he made it through, refusing to pose for a picture for his mother, he wasn’t sure this would be a night worth remembering. He drove himself to the dance, and cursed at his shaking hands. He shouldn’t be nervous, all he had to do was survive a few dull hours, possibly meet up with Louis in the toilets for a quick argument/make out session (who says you can’t do both at the same time?) and then he could curl up in bed and sort through his mess of emotions. No reason to be dramatic. 

Despite the whirlwind of emotions he was fighting to ignore, Harry still managed to appreciate the beautiful decorations as he entered the school. At night, with the awful fluorescent lights off, the Christmas lights glowed softly in the fake snow on the garlands, making the normally stoic hallways seems almost fairy-tale worthy. It was nice, Harry had to admit. He approached the table where they were collecting tickets for entrance. As Harry handed them his ticket, he glanced into the dark gym where the actual dance was being held. There were no overhead lights on, just more garlands and several trees that were absolutely covered in twinkling lights. There was fake snow everywhere, and the DJ’s lights were blinking and flashing across the floor, casting long and changing shadows everywhere. It was disorienting, but still pretty. Harry could just hear the dull bass thudding from where he stood outside the gym. He felt like his nerves were thrumming in time to the beat. 

With a deep breath, he turned to enter. He was thinking about his plan of attack for the evening, whether he was going to spend the next few hours playing games on his phone at a table, or sitting in a dark corner, texting Niall all the ridiculous dance moves his classmates were failing to pull off, when a hand gripped his wrist, pulling him just to the side of the entrance. He turned to see Louis, looking stunning in a crisp black suit, with a blue tie to match his eyes. 

Harry just stared, waiting for Louis to say something. They’d texted earlier, Louis panicking, sending an uncounted number of apologies, begging (well, as close to begging as Louis ever gets) Harry to still come to the dance. Louis looked as nervous as Harry felt. He stood there, in front of Harry, fidgeting and adjusting his sleeves, but not saying anything. 

“Hey Louis.” Harry gave in, using a soft tone to show he wasn’t angry, and also because it was useless to start a fight when Louis already looked so guilty. 

“Hey.” Louis started, but didn’t say anything else.

“Where’s your date.” Harry asked.

Louis didn’t answer, but he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath like he was bracing himself like he was either about to throw up or do something that terrified him. Harry waited.

“Harry, I just wanted to say I’m so, terribly sorry for the way I’ve treated you. You deserve better, I know that.” 

Harry tried to interrupt, to disagree with him, but Louis cut him off with a hand. 

“I do. But here’s the thing. I realized that the only thing worse than people finding out, is losing you. And that sounds really cheesy and fucking stupid and I hate saying sappy shit.” Louis rambled, and Harry smiled a little. He always found Louis’ nervous rambling adorable, because it reminded him of their first date. Louis had been so nervous he talked through an entire film, and Harry had listened to every word. “What I’m trying to say, I guess, God…” Louis stopped, looking Harry directly in the eye. “Will you be my date, now? Like to this dance?” He raised his eyebrows hopefully, trying to smile, but it was more of a grimace because he was too nervous to properly control his face. 

Harry was shocked, to say the least. He was speechless. He wasn’t sure, but he was almost positive Louis was finally giving him what he’d wanted for months, since after their third date when they had officially become boyfriends (Louis hadn’t been quite this nervous when he’d asked Harry that time). Harry looked up, mostly hide the moisture that he could feel starting to pool in his eyes. He was not a ridiculous sap who was going to cry when his boyfriend asked him out. Except he totally was. His eye caught on a decoration hanging above their heads, a little green sprig that stood out from the other greens decorating the hall. 

“Mistletoe.” Harry observed, not really thinking about it. He was just surprised the decorators had thought that detail was actually necessary. Most teenagers didn’t need an excuse to make out shamelessly. He was brought back to the present moment, a very important moment where Louis was patiently waiting for his response, by Louis’ cold hand cupping his jaw. Harry tilted his head back down, and before he could say anything, Louis pressed their lips together in a gentle, all-important kiss. 

It was short, and sweet, but it was everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this one kind of got away from me. Also I was distracted watching the WWA tour DVD while writing. So sorry. Hope you like it anyway! (Sorry about the lack of editing, it turned out longer than expected and now I don't have time)
> 
> Also I wanted to thank you guys for reading, and again I appreciate any and all feedback (if you didn't like it, tell me why, I'd love the opportunity to improve!) I'm shocked by the kudos and comments I've gotten so far, you guys are awesome! Much Love <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3 Prompt: Watching Holiday specials
> 
> Harry made plans, but Louis screws them up. Louis apologizes like he always does, and it's waaaaay better than what Harry had planned.
> 
> famous/non-famous au - Louis is a successful musician, Harry is his songwriting live-in boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I'm playing it fast and loose with the prompts, but this much writing is turning out more difficult than I thought. I just want to say writing fluff is my biggest weakness. I'm so sorry.

Harry drummed his fingers against the counter, glaring out the window above the sink.

“I don’t understand, did you forget that we were supposed to hang out tonight or did you just decide that getting drunk is more important?” He said into the phone that he was pressing slightly too hard into his ear.

“I didn’t forget, Harry, and I really am sorry, but it’s my last chance to hang out with the lads for a few weeks, you know that. They just suggested a few drinks, and I thought it sounded fun. I’ve already told them I’ll go.” Louis answered, not sounding too sorry. “And we did say we were gonna chill, but we didn’t make any specific plans, so I hoped you might be ok for a few hours, and I’ll come over after?”

Harry sighed in irritation, dropping his hand from the counter. He walked out of the kitchen, since Louis wouldn’t be over in time for dinner, and he suddenly didn’t feel like cooking anymore. He had been planning to make a very nice, special risotto for Louis, to be eaten by candlelight, while his specially-made ‘wine and dine’ playlist serenaded them, and then they could curl up and watch their favorite holiday movie together. It was supposed to be a perfectly romantic, lovely night in. So yes, Harry had made specific, very detailed plans. But Louis had changed his mind at the last minute, not for the first time.

“Well it sounds like you’ve already made up your mind.” Harry sighed in defeat. He had been in this situation before and he knew perfectly well that pleading with Louis, and telling him how awful he was making Harry feel just made him defensive, and it would only escalate to an argument if he tried to change Louis’ mind.

“I am sorry, Harry. I’ll make it up to you. Promise.” 

“Yeah.” 

“Alright love, I’ve gotta go meet the guys, but I’ll be over later. Bye.”

“Mhm.” Harry mumbled, as Louis hung up on him.

Harry dropped onto the couch, defeated. He should have expected this, really. It was two days before Louis left to go on tour with his band, and Louis had a tendency to be really indecisive of who he needed to spend time with right before he left. Harry should be used to this, because in the two years that they had been dating, Louis had been on tour for more than half of that time. It was hard, yes. Being away from your boyfriend more than you were with him was always difficult. But it was even more difficult to deal with Louis constantly meeting up with all of his ‘friends’. He had so many friends, he couldn’t even remember all their names. And yet they all loved Louis, all just had to spend time with him. And Louis, being the outgoing, fun-loving young celebrity with money to burn, couldn’t seem to say no to any of them. Harry really should be used to this by now. 

Later that night, after Harry had taken a bubble bath (using the ridiculously expensive bath salts Louis had brought back from some exotic place or other) and perhaps drank an entire bottle of also expensive wine (another gift from an apologetic Louis that Harry had tried to refuse), Louis stumbled drunkenly into the dark flat, finding Harry already asleep. He undressed as quietly as he could, successfully not waking Harry. Louis whispered apologies into his curls as he settled next to him, falling asleep nearly as soon as he was horizontal. 

The next morning, Harry woke up with a groan to a severe hangover. Wine always left him with a splitting headache, and he gratefully took the pills on his bedside table, gulping the room-temperature water next to them. When he finished the water, setting the glass back down, he realized two things. One, someone had set the water and pills out for him, and it sure as hell wasn’t his drunk self. Two, Louis wasn’t in bed. Louis never woke up first, it went against the laws of nature. Either Harry had been more drunk than he thought and slept in really late to recover, or Louis hadn’t come home the night before. Maybe he was still out drinking with some of his rich friends. Harry groaned again, burying his head under the covers. He was really tired of justifying Louis’ behavior to himself, but every time he tried to bring it up with Louis, they would end up either having really athletic make up sex, or Louis would insist on spending ridiculous amounts of money on Harry as an apology. He was always apologetic, and then would go out and do the exact same thing the next time. 

“Fuck everything!” Harry yelled into his pillow.

“What was that? Was too muffled to understand.” 

Harry heard from the other side of his blanket cocoon. He peeked out, shocked.

“Louis?”

“Who else would it be?” Louis laughed. “Now sit up, I had breakfast shipped in. 

Harry rolled over, scooting up against the headboard. He watched, still in shock, as Louis set a giant tray down on the bed. It was covered in sliced fruit, nuts, and pastries. All of Harry’s favorite breakfast foods, and none of Louis’.

“Louis,” Harry sighed, “I’m really not in the mood for you to buy my forgiveness again.” 

“No! No, that’s not what this is. Well, maybe a little bit.” Louis rushed. “But Harry, I know you’re tired of me fucking up, but I promise if you just bear with me, it’ll be great. Oh! I forgot the coffee!” 

Harry rolled his eyes as Louis turned and rushed off to the kitchen. He was still irritated, yes, but he’d always been a sucker for Louis, and they both knew Harry would forgive him soon enough. Probably before the end of breakfast. He grabbed a pastry off the tray, because no matter how irritated he was, he would never let a fresh croissant go to waste. He moaned at the buttery, flaky deliciousness. Louis clearly went to the really expensive French bakery that was further away, when he usually went to the cheap, not as delicious but still good, bakery around the corner. The one Harry used to work at before he ‘made it’ as a songwriter. Now that his songs were selling well enough to pay his rent, and he lived with his rich musician boyfriend, he didn’t need to work there any more, and Louis knew he missed it sometimes. 

Harry mused about benefits of going back to the bakery part-time to distract him from missing Louis when he was away, when he wandered back in, precariously balancing a pitcher of orange juice, a giant mug of coffee, and a teapot in his arms. Harry was going to get up and help him, he would, but he couldn’t get up with out moving the tray that was pinning him under the blankets. So it seemed more logical to sit, watch Louis struggle, and eat some pineapple. He giggled when Louis nearly spilled the juice as he shifted it onto the table, and Louis just smiled. 

“Success! Not a drop spilled!” He raised his own mug of tea in celebration, splashing some onto the floor. “Except that one. Fuck.” Louis collapsed onto the bed, jostling Harry, who was busy shielding the food. “Making breakfast is exhausting. Ugh I need a nap.” Louis moaned.

“You didn’t even cook! I’m willing to bet you didn’t even slice the fruit, you just bought a pre-sliced tray.” Harry protested, handing Louis some kind of donut from the tray. Louis just shrugged. 

“You and I both know you’d only be disappointed if I tried to cook.”

“Yeah, that’s fair. So are you gonna nap then? I might go for a walk.” Harry said, planning on stopping by the bakery to see if they even needed any part-time help.

“No! You can’t leave! There’s so much more we have to do! Harry!” Louis whined. Harry laughed in surprise. 

“What else do we have to do, we don’t have any plans, do we?”

“YOU don’t, but I do. I know you planned out a whole,” Louis gestured vaguely with his hand, “thing last night, and I fucked it up, so I planned out my own whole thing today. I want to show you I love you and I’m sorry and make it up to you and be all romantic and sappy and shit.” 

“Wow. So eloquent.” Harry deadpanned.

“Shutup. I got up extra early to go to the nice bakery, I’m tired. But I have tea, and you have coffee, and we’re gonna caffeinate and then commence with the romantic day I planned out.” Louis sat up next to Harry, finishing his pastry and picking up their respective mugs, urging Harry to drink.

“Well, do tell, what are these elaborate romantic activities you have planned for us today?” Harry asked, sipping his steaming coffee.

“It’s a surprise. Now hurry up and finish breakfast.” 

They finished quickly, and Louis even managed to convince Harry to leave the rest out instead of packing it away. They showered together, one of their favorite activities, and then Louis let Harry teach him how to make cookies. Which mostly involved Louis sneaking bites of dough while Harry worked. They both knew Harry enjoyed it. It was all pretty standard for an apology date, except that Louis wasn’t saying sorry at every opportunity. He was actually being a little more shy than usual, acting almost nervous. 

Harry chose to ignore Louis’ behavior in favor of fully enjoying the day. It wasn’t the same as what he’d planned for the night before, but it was close. They laughed endlessly as they cooked, and when the cookies were done, Louis kicked Harry out of the flat to ‘clean up the kitchen’.

“But why do I have to leave the flat? Can’t I just watch TV on the couch?” Harry argued, as Louis tried to physically force him out the door. “You’ve never even cleaned the kitchen before! What if you break something!” 

“It’ll be fine, I know how to clean, jesus. Now go grab a bagel or something, I don’t know. Give me 45 minutes, then you can come back. Please.” 

With that, and his phone and a wad of money shoved into his hands, Harry was locked out of his own apartment. He was so bewildered he temporarily forgot about going to the bakery, and just sat in the lobby of their building until Louis texted him to come back. 

When Harry entered again, cautiously as though he was looking for damage, he was surprised to find that not only had Louis cleaned, but he had also drawn the curtains and lit candles. Harry’s favorite scent, even. There was wine set out on the table in front of the couch, and ‘Love Actually’, their favorite holiday movie, was playing in the background. Harry checked to make sure his jaw wasn’t hanging open in shock. It was so beautiful, the ambience was just right. It was so unlike Louis to set something like this up.

“What’s all this?” Was the only thing Harry could think to ask. He looked over to where Louis was standing, in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. Louis was looking down at his hands, where he was wringing his fingers nervously. “Louis?” Harry asked, his forehead wrinkling in concern.

“I had this whole plan, but I honestly don’t think I can wait, Harry. I’m no good with big elaborate romantic plans, and you deserve so much better, but you know patience has never been my strong suit.” Louis rambled.

Harry took a step forward. “Louis what are you talking about? And this is great, why are you so nervous? You’ve nailed it.” 

“No, there was a whole plan, we were gonna sit and watch the movie, so you would be in a proper romantic mood, and we were gonna drink the wine, so you would be a little loose and more open,” Harry smirked at that, and Louis looked up in irritation, “Not like that, you prat. I mean, you definitely wouldn’t still be angry at that point. I need you to not be angry.” Louis started biting his lips, which he usually only did when he got nervous before a performance. 

“Louis, why are you so nervous? I’ve already forgiven you. You knew I would. I understand, I really do, I just get frustrated sometimes. I feel like you’re leaving me behind a little bit.” 

“That’s not true, Harry!” Louis rushed over, grabbing Harry’s hands, and Harry leaned in to kiss him. Louis gave him a quick peck before he continued. “You know I’d never leave you behind. I just get so easily distracted sometimes, but I’m gonna work on that. And you know you’re always welcome to come out with me.” He smiled and kissed him again, a little bit longer but still soft and chaste. “But anyway, that’s not what this is about. I’ve been thinking about this awhile, and I’ve written about a dozen speeches in my head but right now I can’t remember any of them, and what I’m trying to say is, and I’m sorry again about this but I can’t sit through a whole movie without knowing what your answer is, Harry,” Louis paused, took a deep breath, and reached into his pocket. He wasn’t so dramatic as to actually get down on one knee, but Harry could guess what was in the small, velvet box that he pulled out. Harry gasped. Louis opened the box slowly, revealing a beautiful silver ring with teal stone set in it. Harry forgot how to breathe, until Louis looked up, and Harry felt the tears start as he looked into Louis’ eyes. “Breathe, Harry.” Louis reminded him. Harry sucked in a breath, willing his eyes to stop watering. He really didn’t want to embarrass himself by crying. He had a feeling it was already too late, though. “Harry, what I need to know is, will you marry me?” Louis finally asked, taking the ring from the box, holding it up. 

Harry didn’t need to think about it. He nodded enthusiastically, wrapping his arms around Louis’ neck, pulling him in for a real kiss. Louis kept it short though. 

“Harry-“ Louis tried to talk around Harry’s lips where they were pressed together. “Harry stop- Harry I need to put the ring on-“ He finally separated their faces, bringing the ring up between them and slipping it onto Harry’s finger. It fit perfectly, of course. 

“I fucking love you, you bloody idiot.” Harry laughed. “Why were you so nervous? I’ve been fucking waiting for ages-“

“Shut up you weren’t. You had no idea.” Louis smacked him on the chest, teasing. “You’re the worst.”

“No, you’re the worst. How long have you been carrying this around, then?” Harry asked, holding the ring up to examine the way the stone was set into the ring. “Beautiful.” He murmured. 

Louis just smiled at his fiancé. “Not long. Now come on, I want to make out with you on the couch while we drink wine and watch the movie.” He tugged Harry’s ring-free hand (well, free of any important rings) and tackling him onto the couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Really appreciate any and all comments and kudos!
> 
> Also swing by my tumblr and check it out, http://harryhazzalou.tumblr.com/ 
> 
> Hope you guys are having a great December! Much love!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #4: Snowball Fight   
> College AU, pure fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...clearly I haven't been keeping up with the prompts, I took a last minute road trip halfway across the country to visit some friends. I would apologize, but it was so much fun and I'm so glad I went, and my writing isn't good enough that I think I'm depriving anyone of anything by not posting it here. So I'm posting this a few days late, hopefully no one is upset about that. If you are upset about that, then I really am sorry. Here's a hug to make it up to you [big, warm hug].
> 
> However, I'm going to continue where I left off. I'll try to catch up. Hope you like it!

Harry rushed across campus, hurrying back to his dorm. He was rushing for several reasons, the first of which was that it was fucking cold, and he needed to get inside before his nose froze off his face. The second, and slightly more important reason, is that his boyfriend, Louis, was driving to visit him, and he really needed to clean the filth from his room before Louis could see it. Seriously, it was gross. Harry had been living a little like that ‘foul bachelor frog’ meme, but now someone important (read: not Niall, his roommate) was going to see his room, and he needed to at least pretend like he’d washed his sheets since the term started three months ago. 

It was also the first time he’d be seeing Louis in person since he’d moved away for school, and while they’d called and skyped all the time, he was still nervous about their reunion. What if Louis had changed? What if Harry was different? Would it be awkward? So many questions raced through Harry’s mind as he walked, and he was so lost in his own head he almost ran into several people. He was pulled from his thoughts when something cold and hard slammed into the back of his head, throwing off his balance. Unfortunately, he was also crossing a patch of ice in the form of a frozen puddle at that moment, and his foot slipped out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground before he could even process what happened. As he lay there, the cold beneath him seeping through his clothes, wondering what he did to deserve this, he heard a familiar laughing apology float through the air. He was still winded from the fall, and for a few seconds he thought he was just hearing things, that he’d been thinking so much about Louis that now he was hearing Louis’ voice. Or he’d hit his head when he’d fallen and now he had a concussion. Suddenly, a very beautiful boy was leaning over Harry where he lay, smiling so brilliantly Harry couldn’t help but smile in response.

“Harry! I’m so sorry, but that was hilarious.” Louis laughed. 

Harry blinked, realizing instantly that Louis was here, this was real, and Harry was just lying on some fucking ice while his boyfriend was standing right in front of him. He should probably stand to greet him properly, but that would just take too long. He’d waited long enough to wrap his arms around his boyfriend, so instead he reached up, grabbing Louis’ jacket, and pulled him down to the ground too, so he could hug him and rub some snow in his face at the same time.

“Louis you fucker! Haven’t seen you for months and the first thing you do is hit me with a snowball? You twat!” Harry laughed, wrestling Louis in the snow, trying to shove some down Louis’ coat in revenge. 

“Missed you too, love.” Louis said, smashing a handful of snow into Harry’s curly hair, distracting him long enough for Louis to escape his long tangled limbs and run away. They chased each other around campus, slowed down by the knee-deep snow, constantly trying to even the score by hitting each other with poorly-aimed snowballs. It wasn’t the most romantic of reunions, but people passing by smiled fondly at the pair, who were adorable together and clearly having too much fun to acknowledge the world outside the two of them. 

Harry eventually tripped, falling into a deep snowdrift and staying there, panting and smiling. The running around had warmed him up, and his play-fighting with Louis had made him forget all of his worries. He was too tired to feel anything but happy.

“Harry? Giving up?” Louis called, dropping the lump of icy snow he’d been preparing, walking over to where Harry was laying, half-buried in the snow. He looked down on his boyfriend, smiling fondly at how happy Harry looked in that moment. “Missed you.” Louis said, before falling on top of Harry, knocking the breath out of him. He leaned on Harry’s chest, taking a deep breath, appreciating the scent he’d been missing. He felt Harry’s arms wrap around him again. Slowly, he set his elbows on either side of Harry’s head, propping himself up so they were laying chest to chest, and he could look at Harry’s face properly. Harry smiled so wide his dimples were craters in his cheek, his eyes sparkling with pure joy. He was so beautiful Louis couldn’t even stand to look at him anymore. So he leaned down to kiss him instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! Sorry it was so short, I'm getting back into the swing of writing, and I have a lot of prompts to catch up on. I look forward to your feedback! Much love.


	5. Overbundled for the winter weather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry loves to spoil his boyfriend, and spends a ridiculous amount of money on a new winter wardrobe, which he then has to convince Louis to wear. Fluff abounds.

Harry wandered through the store, indulging his urge to spend all his time thinking about Louis. When he was working, which was almost always these days, he had to focus on his appearance, on not saying anything that would give anything away. It was ridiculous, really, the number of things he had to think about and keep track of. Harry knew management had a reason for being as controlling as they were, and Harry really hoped they were right. But it was still nice to take a break from his public persona and just let his mind wander. It always wandered to Louis. People had always told him this feeling would fade, the fuzzy-dizzy-with-butterflies feeling he got whenever he remembered that Louis was his, that beautiful boy was Harry’s boyfriend, that Louis loved him too. It was a miracle, really. Clumsy dorky Harry, whose idea of a joke was a terrible pun, and who lived to make the people he loved smile. Louis chose him. After knowing each other and being best friends for four years, three of which they were dating (except for that brief but very dark period of time which Harry refused to think about), Harry was still excited every time he got to spend some time with Louis. Real time, not time when they were working and had to pretend they were anything less than ridiculously in love. 

Right now wasn’t one of those times, but Harry was out shopping alone, and there wasn’t a single camera in sight, so Harry let himself just relax, daydreaming about last week, when Louis had gotten a wonderful solid 24 hours together in a hotel room, no interruptions and no responsibilities. It had been wonderful. And next month, on their break, they had plans to spend time together in England, which was something they almost never got to do. Thinking about England, Harry realized Louis would need some warmer clothes. He’d been borrowing from the other boys more and more often lately, because he was too lazy to go out and buy his own. It was beginning to irritate the others, not Harry. Harry actually wished Louis could borrow more of his clothes, but his wardrobe was pretty distinctive, and God forbid they give any sign that they actually see each other outside the band. Harry sighed, wondering if Louis would wear something he had bought. Then he decided he didn’t care, he wanted to shop for his boyfriend. If they couldn’t be together at the moment (Louis was making a required appearance with his ‘girlfriend’, something Harry had learned to accept over the years), then Harry would make up for it by spoiling him. 

He left the store he’d been browsing in, some ridiculously expensive hipster shop that really looked like a resale shop, the clothes were all so worn and artistically torn. It was exactly Harry’s style, which meant he wouldn’t find anything that Louis would wear. He quickly googled the nearby shops on his phone, finding some sports apparel stores a few blocks over. He smiled to himself, and headed in that direction.   
A few hours later, after Harry had filled the boot of his car with bags and bags of clothes and accessories for Louis, it occurred to Harry that he might have overdone it a little bit. Thinking of the thousands of dollars he had just spent, and how many times Louis would roll his eyes at him, Harry shrugged to himself. It made him happy, he had the money to spare, and he knew Louis covered his appreciation with sarcasm. So it was a win-win. He drove back to his house, already thinking up outfits to dress his boyfriend in with all the things he’d bought.

Finally, after weeks of endless interviews, performances, and signings, Harry was on the plane back to England, back to Louis. They couldn’t fly together, fans and the media had always been exceptionally gifted at finding them when they traveled, so they arrived a day apart, and agreed to meet at Louis’ place. Harry had tried to decide which of his gifts to bring for Louis, but ended up bringing all of them. It was a struggle to check all of those bags, and Harry really hoped they all made it through security and onto the plane with him. But when he landed at the airport, he didn’t have time to check for his bags. His security rushed him to the car, and said they would get the bags to the house later. So Harry went to meet his boyfriend empty handed. 

Which was a good thing, really, because Louis jumped on him as soon as he was through the door, and proceeded to demand being carried everywhere. 

“It’s been awful, Harold. They make me walk everywhere, like they don’t know I’m used to being carried. But you always take such good care of me. You know how to spoil me right.” Louis babbled, as Harry laughed along and carried him to the kitchen. He just knew Louis had eaten nothing but junk food, considering he couldn’t cook for shit. So the first thing Harry always did when they were home together (whether it was here or Harry’s place in LA, as long as they were together it was home) was cook something healthy for his boy. And to his credit, Louis always seemed to enjoy it, even the vegetables. But before Harry could complete his survey of the food in Louis’ kitchen, the doorbell rang. 

“That’ll be your bags then. They still won’t let you hang out at bag claim, huh?” Louis asked, but Harry ignored the question. 

“Speaking of spoiling you, I might have gotten a few things.” Harry said, preparing Louis as he opened the door, greeting the buff security guys as they proceeded to carry in all of Harry’s bags. It looked like they had all made it, and Harry smiled in relief. 

“A few things!? This is seven, seven bags Harry! What do you-“ Louis just stared in disbelief, actually speechless for once. 

“So I may have gotten a little carried away. But aren’t you sick of wearing Zayn’s old clothes? I thought you could use an update.” 

“So what, you got me a bunch of weird bowling shirts and scarves, is that it?”

“No,” Harry laughed, “just some warmer stuff. And maybe a few scarves.” 

With that, he bent to start digging through the bags. He’d already planned the first outfit he wanted to put Louis in, but as he dug through the larger than he remembered pile of clothes, while Louis sat watching and munching on some candy, he kept changing his mind and putting more things to the side for Louis to wear. Soon, he had a whole pile of clothing, and he really wanted to see Louis in all of it, but Louis was steadfastly refusing to model for him.

“I’m not putting clothes on just so you can see how they look. Now, if you want me to take clothes off for you, that’s something I’ll consider.” Louis tugged on his collar, raising an eyebrow in question. 

“Come on, please? Just two outfits. I want to make sure they fit.” Harry begged as he mentally eliminated some of the things he’d chosen, narrowing down his selections to two full outfits. 

“Absolutely not. Weren’t you gonna cook for me?” Louis tried to disctract him.   
Then Harry was hit with a great idea. If Louis wouldn’t put on the clothes to model them, then Harry would just have to suggest an activity that would require Louis to wear some of them. It was foolproof. Ok, so it was a stupidly simple and completely fallible plan, but for some reason Harry was ridiculously set on seeing Louis in his new clothes. Maybe it had been awhile since Harry had seen him in anything besides dirty sweats and stretched out tshirts. Even when their stylist dressed them for things, Louis would choose the most casual items he could, barely even wearing jeans anymore, much less dress pants. Harry really just wanted to see him in something clean and new, something different. 

“We should go for a walk, get some fresh air.” Harry suggested. Louis stopped eating.

“I thought you wanted me to model?” 

“You said no, now I’m suggesting an alternative. Let’s go for a walk. Come on, the snow outside is beautiful, I bet we could get some great pictures, and when we get back I’ll make us fresh cookies and hot cocoa.” 

“Ugh. Fine. But only so you’ll stop about the clothes. And I’m not putting those away, you bought them, you deal with them.” 

Louis got up to walk away, probably to grab an old, ratty coat and some boots, but Harry stopped him. 

“Wait, I’ve got something for you to wear. A coat- hats- I think there might be some boots here somewhere-“ Harry rifled through the bags, too distracted thinking about the options to notice the fond smile on Louis’ face, where he stood admiring his idiot of a boyfriend. He really didn’t need any clothes, and Harry was ridiculous for buy enough for a small army, but it was really sweet. And Louis could see how hard Harry had tried to pick out things he thought Louis would like. There were retro-looking jackets, all sporty-looking, some athletic pants and jeans, plenty of shoes, and even some headbands, although Louis had cut his hair and didn’t really wear them anymore. He was over that weird phase, thankfully.   
After a little more rummaging and several quick decisions, Harry handed louis a pile of clothing and some boots. 

“Here. Put these on, no arguments.” He used his stern tone, but to his surprise Louis didn’t argue, just rolled his eyes and grabbed the clothes. He went to another room to change, but Harry knew it was just so he could do a dramatic reveal when he was dressed. Louis always loved his dramatics, and they both knew Harry would love it.

Just as Harry was wrapping his own scarf around his neck, all bundled up and ready to go, Louis called out from the bedroom.

“Harry, I think you grabbed too many things, how am I supposed to wear all of this at once?”

Harry laughed to himself, removing his scarf and coat for a moment, and went to go help his boyfriend.

“It’s called layering, you lazy twat.” He said, coming around the corner to find Louis standing naked with the clothes all thrown on the unmade bed. Harry’s face split in a grin. “You wear that so well.”

Louis smiled in return. 

Ten or so minutes later, as Harry was putting his clothes back on, Louis reluctantly started to put on his boxers. 

“So…cookies?” He tried.

“Nope, walk first. Now, do you need help getting dressed, you insolent child?”   
“Maybe.” Louis shrugged. 

Harry proceeded to hand him the clothing one item at a time, starting with the warm but fitted skinny jeans, a t shirt, a button-up, a cardigan, a light jacket, followed by a larger outer coat (to fit over all the others) and some warm wool socks, a scarf and a hat to finish it off. Louis dressed quickly, resisting rolling his eyes the whole time.

Once he was dressed, Harry asked him to put on the boots, and left to go grab his own coat. Just as he was wrapping his scarf around his neck (again), Louis came out, striking a dramatic pose against the doorframe. He looked stunning, in Harry’s opinion, and Harry was secretly glad that he had spent all the time and money shopping. 

“You look perfect, Lou. Gorgeous.”

“Yeah well not as good as you.” Louis smiled, kissing Harry and grabbing his hand. “Shall we?” 

With that, they headed out the door into the brisk winter afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I guess I'm not keeping up with this challenge at all, but I started this awhile ago and finally got around to finishing it. I might add more when I get distracted from the other big fic I'm working on.
> 
> I love feedback! Please comment, let me know what you thought, especially if you want more! 
> 
> Come find me at tumblr, harryhazzalou.tumblr.com
> 
> Much love <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry just wants to throw the perfect holiday party, and Louis is the opposite of helpful.  
> prompt: planning family party

Harry sighed, looking up from his tentative plans for a menu to glare at his partner.

“You could pretend to help, at the very least.” Harry said, trying his best to sound angry. 

“No thanks.” Louis replied shortly, knowing better than to rise to Harry’s taunt. “This party was your idea, I was against it, you’re on your own mate.” He said, not even bothering to pause his game. He’d been really into some new adventure video game, it looked rather interesting but Harry always thought real life adventures were more fun, and had better stories, than any video games. At least it was more interesting than the combat games Louis would sometimes become obsessed with for days at a time. 

“But it’s our party, that we’re throwing at our house.” Harry said, his voice starting to sound like a whine. 

“Nope. Our house, your party. I’ll attend, if you invite me, but I’m having no part of this planning business. Far more important things to do, Harold.”

Harry scowled. The use of his nickname was teasing, meaning Louis wasn’t taking this seriously at all.

“You’re the worst.” 

“You love me. I’m the best.”

Giving in, Harry left the room to work in silence without Louis’ presence to annoy him. To be fair, he had decided to proceed with planning their holiday party without Louis’ permission, but Louis had also never specifically forbade him from throwing it. At the very least, Louis could act like he wanted Harry to throw the party, help him brainstorm ideas, but Harry knew he wasn’t going to win this one. He was on his own.  
He spent most of his free time over the next couple of weeks planning, making menu decisions, assembling guest lists, and shopping for decorations. He didn’t have all that much free time to begin with, but the party was developing surprisingly well despite that fact. Louis continued to ignore his requests for help, but he also didn’t get in Harry’s way or try to mess with his plans at any point. Not that Harry knew of, anyway. Harry did his best not to be resentful. At least at the end of this, he would have a wonderful party to enjoy, and Louis would be by his side, which always made it better. If it was successful enough, maybe he could even convince Louis to help him plan the next party. 

Just as Harry was finishing up the grocery list to fill his menu one afternoon, Louis came around the corner into the kitchen, where Harry was seated at the counter. Harry didn’t look up to greet him, he was so engrossed in his list-making, so Louis not-so-gently tugged his hair to get his attention.

“Come to help, have you?” Harry asked innocently.

“Are you still planning that party thing? I thought you’d given up.” Louis took the stool next to Harry’s, glancing at the list Harry was writing.

“Of course I’m still throwing the party, just ‘cause you’re too lazy to plan one doesn’t mean I want to miss out on the fun.”

“You know I hate guacamole, why is there always guacamole?” Louis asked petulantly. 

Harry sighed.

“You don’t help plan, you don’t get to decide what we eat. It’s my favorite, so we’re having it.” Harry replied, before standing to check for some ingredients in the pantry. He crossed the kitchen to open the cupboard, but Louis stood up and followed him.

“If I say I’ll help, will you make that awesome homemade baklava? That shit was the best.” 

“No. Too late.” 

Louis stood behind where Harry was rifling through the cans on the shelf, crossing his arms in annoyance. He always got annoyed when he was bored and Harry wasn’t giving him enough attention. He was obviously the most interesting part of Harry’s life, so Harry should care the most about him. More than some stupid party menu.

But Harry was clearly set on ignoring him, which meant it was up to Louis to remind him why that was a bad idea. Time to start planning revenge. Whenever Harry would forget that Louis was the greatest thing in his life, and accordingly forget to treat Louis as such, Louis took it upon himself to make Harry’s life difficult until he remembered to shower Louis with all the love and affection that was due. In Louis’ opinion, of course. And Harry was always grateful for the reminder, after he had recovered from whatever method of (usually messy, but never overly painful) prank Louis had pulled. So Louis left Harry alone, for now, and wandered off to make his own plans.

Harry, meanwhile, had just put the finishing touches on his ‘perfect holiday party menu’. He was pretty proud of it, too. It was just the right blend of mass appeal and interest, finger food and complex taste. It was his masterpiece. Ok, so that might be exaggerating a little, but it was a damn good menu. And since there was only three days to go until he had to start cooking (five days until the party), he was just in time. He was so pleased with his work, and so wrapped up in thoughts of how awesome his first real party was going to be (as in a party that was more than just an excuse to get drunk with his friends, where the only menu planning involved an expensive trip to the liquor store), he failed to notice the lack of Louis pestering him. Normally, he would have been anxious and paranoid at this much peace and quiet. Normally, he would have been prepared for one of Louis’ poorly-timed but well-executed pranks. Harry’s always up for a good prank of course, he couldn’t be dating Louis if he wasn’t, he just preferred to be on the planning side of one instead of the receiving side. But he was blissfully unaware of the trouble that was headed this way, distracted as he was with his plans. 

The next few days passed uneventfully. They managed to go out for a quiet dinner date, something that required a little stealth and a lot of caution, and finish their Christmas shopping in between their separate planning sessions. Louis continued to gleefully plan Harry’s demise, but his plans seemed to escalate with Harry’s continued ignorance. The more Harry ignored him, the more Louis had time to plan an epic prank, so it was really Harry’s fault entirely. 

The night of the party arrived, after much panicked cooking on Harry’s part, and even Louis felt guilty enough to actually volunteer to help him after the third pan full of sauce had spilled across the kitchen floor, and Harry was almost in tears from frustration and exhaustion. They had spent the night before cooking together, and much to both of their surprise, it was actually quite fun and successful. They managed to finish all of the food that could be prepared in advance, and even had time to cuddle through a movie (during which they both fell asleep cuddled on the couch like an old married couple). So when Louis refused to help Harry finish his menu together on the day of, saying he once again had better things to do, Harry was a little irritated. 

“Seriously?! It’s down to the wire, and you’re gonna bail?” Harry demanded, sweat in his hair and hands on his apron-clad hips, like a proper chef/diva. Louis barely contained his laughter at the ridiculous sight.

“Yep, seriously. Got plans, Harold.”

Harry just rolled his eyes and stomped back into his pit of despair, the steam-filled kitchen (which smelled of so many delicious foods at this point it was actually overwhelming). Louis chuckled a little at his boyfriend’s ridiculousness and set to work on his own plans. 

Several hours later, the food was out, the drinks were chilled, and Harry was showered and dressed to the nines. He had on his favorite sheer shirt, his blackest skinny jeans, and his new gltter boots. He looked fabulous, his flat was decorated immaculately, and the food looked stunning. He was ready. Except, Louis was still in their closet, undressed, and looked to be making no progress on the outfit front. 

“But Harry!” Louis whined. “Why can’t I just wear joggers? They’re so comfy, and I have new ones that are clean with no holes, what’s the problem?”

“Nope. Fancy party, fancy pants.” Harry yelled as he left the room. He knew Louis would dress nice enough, so he went to double check everything before the guests arrived. Everything was ready and in place, and Harry was ready for an epic party. Sure enough, as soon as he started his party playlist (it was only an hour long, Zayn and Niall would certainly change the music as soon as they had a few drinks in them, but Harry didn’t mind, they always worked pretty well as a DJ team), the first guests arrived. The party started off perfectly, with Harry being showered in compliments for all his hard work, and Harry felt no guilt in taking all the credit. Louis wasn’t even around to try to claim some, he was busy chatting with party guests, avoiding Harry’s side. It was unusual, but Harry just chalked it up to Louis wanting Harry to get his due for all his hard work. If Louis was clinging to Harry’s side, like they usually would be in this situation, people would surely be telling Louis he did such a good job helping Harry, which was obviously just not true. Satisfied, Harry indulged himself in the wonderful menu he had stressed so much over. 

Louis, meanwhile, had been very busy ensuring his next epic prank would go just as smoothly as Harry’s party had. It involved some secrecy and lots of coordination, but as always with Louis’ plans, it was going smoothly so far. Now all of the pieces were in play, and he had only to wait for the opportune moment. 

Not even an hour later, things were going well. People were enjoying the food, but not so much that anything had run out (except the guacamole – in your face, Louis), the drinks were making people more open and fun, but not so much that Harry would have a mess to clean up tomorrow, and as predicted Zayn and Niall had taken over the music, and there was even a decent dance floor area forming, a safe distance from the snack table. It was perfect, and Harry was more than glad he had spent all that time planning. Harry was tipsy, but not too drunk to remember this feeling of supreme victory with clarity, and he was having simply the best time. Nothing could bring him down. 

Louis, sensing his opportunity, hurried over to the makeshift DJ table to give them the go-ahead signal. Hopefully, everyone would remember their cues. After he got the confirming nods from Zayn and Niall, he casually strolled over near Harry, but not at his side (wouldn’t want to catch any effects of his own prank, and he knew that some of these people had terrible aim). Soon enough, some catchy song came to an end, and Louis’ choice came on. Louis crossed his fingers that he had relied on the right people, they could pull this off. He noticed several people stiffen up at the opening chords of the song they’d been waiting to hear, but thankfully they had all managed to avoid staring at Harry, and alerting him that something was up. Several people shifted closer to Harry from where they’d been enjoying the party, subtly setting down drinks and adjusting their special prank-related items. Louis could feel the excitement building with the song’s melody, his pulse increasing as the chorus approached. Not long now. Louis loved pranks so much, and the build-up was almost as exciting as the prank itself. He only hoped that Harry’s reaction would be worth all of this anticipation. 

Harry, unaware of the carefully planned event that was about to befall him, danced on. He shook his hips to the music, and was just about to belt out the chorus, really getting into it, when suddenly almost everyone standing around him turned to face him. Before he could even react to this oddly synchronized move, however, they all raised their hands and proceeded to cover him in silly string. Harry was completely stunned, and just stood there. Louis smiled. It wasn’t over. Harry didn’t even have time to process the first step before the second line of the chorus hit and everyone who didn’t have silly string in their hands (some of whom were still spraying Harry) raised an air horn, and blared them directly at their host. Harry, being blinded by the silly string, couldn’t see the air horns, and when the obnoxious noise sounded he was so startled he actually fell over, taking out a few party guests with him. Most people laughed and continued to enjoy the party, now enhanced with silly string and air horns (thank god Harry had thought to invite the neighbors, or they might have gotten the police called on them for that one). Louis, through his boisterous laughter, rushed over to help Harry. He was standing, as no one here was cruel enough to laugh at him on the floor and not help him up, but he was still covered in neon string and looking completely bewildered. Louis, through his laughter, managed to simultaneously enjoy the after-effects of his prank and clean Harry off. 

Once all of the string was brushed off of Harry’s clothes and hair, and the ringing in their ears had stopped, Louis made eye contact, looking for a grin or at least a smirk that showed Harry appreciated Louis’ comic genius. Instead, he found a pout. For just a moment, Louis thought Harry’s pout was real and he was actually upset. But Harry couldn’t keep it up, and after seeing Louis’ face flicker from his self-satisfied grin for just a split second, he cracked and laughed along with his immature, but still adorable, boyfriend. Louis breathed a small sigh of relief, and hugged him.

“I’m glad you threw this party, Harry. I love you, but maybe next time hire a professional planner.” Louis whispered into his ear between their giggles.

“I’m glad you still get angry and pull childish pranks when I ignore you, idiot. Love you too.” Harry whispered back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So....I don't really know what happened to this chapter. I guess this is what happens when I don't plan before I write. Also, for the record, I love quacamole and have no reason to believe Louis doesn't also. No hard feelings. 
> 
> Seriously though, my story has almost 1,000 views which is insane since it's just worthless drabble-fluff, and I love you for reading this! Please, if you liked it, leave me some kudos or a comment! I love talking to you lovely people who understand why I spend my time doing this. Or come say hi on tumblr: http://www.harryhazzalou.tumblr.com 
> 
> Much love to you all, sorry this is becoming so painfully drawn out! <3


	7. Hanging the Stockings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis, a high schooler (US AU b/c it's what I know) is in detention, and resentful about his 'holiday spirit' task, until a friendly, curly new face offers to help. Short and sweet.

Louis huffed as he carried his supplies through the hallway. He’d gotten another detention, his third this week, for ‘mouthing off’ to another teacher. He thought spirited debate was important to the educational curriculum, but apparently his superiors didn’t agree. Usually detention wasn’t that much of a negative anyway, he either used it to catch up on sleep or homework (usually sleep). This time, however, his teachers had apparently caught on to his tolerance of their usual reprimands, and he had been given a task for his detention. To help decorate the school for the upcoming Christmas holiday. It was futile, in Louis’ opinion. What was the point? The students wouldn’t be here for Christmas, the school wasn’t celebrating it in anyway, and someone (probably Louis) would just have to remove the decorations again in a few weeks. It was a giant waste of time. And these ‘stockings’ that he was supposed to hang were heavy. There was a piece of colored paper, cut out in the shape of a sock and adorned with a name (who even uses glitter glue anymore?) for each locker, and Louis had to attach each one to all of the 150 lockers in the hallway. What could be worse? At least he could listen to music while he worked. 

Just as he was selecting the perfect anti-Christmas-spirit song, and adjusting the volume to just below ear-damaging levels, Louis felt a tap on his shoulder.

“What the-“ He startled, jerking his earbuds out as he turned and accidentally throwing all of the obnoxious paper socks into the intruder’s face. 

“Oh, oops!” Said the stranger. 

Once the socks had settled and Louis could see who it was, he blinked, looked again, and asked, “What?” in the mildest of his irritated tones. He didn’t know this boy, this really cute curly-haired boy, but he was clearly younger, probably an underclassman, and Louis couldn’t figure out why this underclassman was bothering him when he had monumental and annoyingly pointless tasks to do. And holidays to hate.

“I, um, I overheard you talking to the teacher about your detention, and I thought you might like some help?” The boy said, shifting uncomfortably and looking at the floor. He looked extremely unsure, and Louis actually felt a little bad about being so rude. The boy was only offering to help. Then again, why was this boy offering to help Louis? Louis was being punished, and no one in their right mind (not even Zayn, Louis’ alleged best friend who was supposed to help him with life’s difficulties) would offer to do this stupid pointless activity if they didn’t need to.

“Oh. Why?” Louis asked, trying to sound a little less irritated. He uncrossed his arms at least.

“Um, I dunno.” The boy mumbled. “I like decorating, I guess, and it’s a lot of lockers, so I guess…” he trailed off. 

Louis shrugged. “Alright, if you want to. Can’t see why you would though, it’s so stupid. And who are you?” 

“’M Harry.” The boy said, finally looking up and making eye contact. Louis smiled a little. At least he was pretty. And he seemed harmless. Maybe Louis could take him under his wing, corrupt him into a little trouble maker like himself. Louis loved the idea immediately. 

“Well, Harry, I’m Louis. And seeing as how I have to get this done either way, your help would be greatly appreciated.” He offered, patting Harry on the shoulder. Harry’s smile nearly doubled, and Louis smirked. This was going to be so easy.

They set about reorganizing the now scattered stockings and looked over the map of lockers together, deciding to split up, each taking one side of the hallway. 

“So, Harold, tell me about yourself.” Louis prompted. If he was going to corrupt this poor youngling, he should probably do his research first. “What year are you in, and why do you like decorating so much?” Louis glanced over from where he was taping up a stocking to see Harry intently focused on his own task. Harry’s stockings were much more even and level than Louis’. 

“Um, well I’m a freshman, just moved here this year.”

“Ok, and you volunteered to help a poor, detained older student because…?” 

“I guess, I dunno. I don’t have a lot of friends, you know? And I wanted to join a club or something to meet people, which is why I was here after school, um, and I saw that you were decorating, um, which I like to do, so I thought I’d offer to help.” Harry spoke so slowly, Louis was beginning to wonder if he’d ever get to the end of the story. It was cute, really. “And that’s it, I guess.” 

“Ah. Well, young Harold-“

“It’s just Harry, actually.” 

Louis laughed. 

“You don’t like Harold?”

“You can call me that, if you want, I guess.” Harry mumbled, but Louis didn’t turn around to see his blush.

“Well, young Harold, you’ll find that my company is infinitely superior to any club, and you’ve made an excellent friend by offering your services today. I do appreciate it, by the way.” 

Harry didn’t respond, and they both worked silently for a few minutes before Louis couldn’t take the quiet again and he tried to get Harry to open up some more. 

“I like you Harry, you don’t mind silence.” 

“Unlike you, you mean?” 

Louis stopped in surprise, turning to see Harry grinning at him. 

“Cheeky. I like it.” Louis winked at him before turning to hang yet another stocking. He was barely even checking to make sure they were hanging upright anymore, he just wanted to get this done. At least they were more than halfway, and Louis was suddenly grateful to have help. He would have been here at least an extra half-hour past the detention bell if Harry hadn’t shown up.

“So, Harry, where did you move from?” Louis asked.

“Another place.” Harry answered. 

“Alright then.” Louis chuckled. He appreciated Harry’s humor, and if Harry didn’t want to talk about it then Louis wouldn’t push. He could be tactful, if necessary. “Well I myself am a junior, and have lived here my entire boring existence, so if you ever need someone to show you all the good spots, or all the hiding spots, just let me know.” 

“You mean it?” Harry asked, sounding unsure again.

“Of course, curly.”

“You like nicknames, don’t you, Louis?” Harry said, using Louis’ name for the first time. Louis liked the way it sounded in Harry’s deep, slow voice.

“Indeed I do. Gives life a little flavor, don’t you think?” 

“Yeah. Yeah, I do. It’s why I like decorating too, you know?” Harry paused, and Louis looked over to smile at him, gesturing for him to continue. “Well, since you asked earlier, I guess I like decorating so much because it gives personality, or flavor, as you put it, to places. Changes things you see all the time so you can see them in a new way. I guess that sounds dumb, I don’t know.”

“That doesn’t sound dumb, Harry. That sounds better than any reason I’ve heard for decorating. Always thought it was a waste of time, myself, doing all this work for something you’re just going to take down in a few weeks anyway, but when you put it like that, I guess I don’t mind so much.” Louis looked over again, and this time he did see Harry blush. Jesus, but this kid was sweet and innocent. Louis was intrigued.

“Thanks.” Harry spoke into the locker he was adorning, just loud enough for Louis to hear. 

“Well it’s true. And even though I already said it, thanks again for helping me, would’ve been a pain in the ass without you here to keep me company. You’re good company Harry.” 

“You’re not so bad yourself, Lou.” 

Louis smiled to himself at the nickname. 

They worked quietly for a little longer, until Louis reached the end of his side of the hallway, and moved to help Harry finish his. 

“I know it’s going to look funny, yours being all straight and perfect and mine being all wonky, but I just want to get this done.” He explained as he grabbed half of Harry’s remaining stack. 

“I like it, I think it’s more interesting this way.” Harry reassured. 

They smiled at each other. Louis felt like Harry’s softness was rubbing off on him, but he couldn’t be bothered to be angry about it.

Once they finished, Harry stood there awkwardly, like he didn’t want to leave while Louis gathered up his tape and supplies to return to the office. 

“Well, curly, looks like we’ve managed it. You were a godsend. I don’t suppose I’ll see you around again?” 

“You want to?” Harry asked, looking up so eagerly that Louis was stunned for a moment. 

“Yeah, of course I do.” He answered honestly. 

Harry blushed again in response. 

“Look, I’ve gotta take these back, but why don’t you give me your number, if that’s ok? I’d like to hang out again, maybe when I’m not being punished, maybe outside of school, even?” Louis asked, rambling a bit, feeling suddenly insecure as he realized what he was asking. Maybe he was reading the situation wrong, but he was pretty sure this felt like the beginning of a very good friendship, and he really didn’t want to screw it up. Thankfully, it seemed like Harry felt the same way. 

“Yeah, that would be great. Here, give me your phone.” 

They exchanged numbers, and promised to text, and Louis left detention that day feeling considerably more in the holiday spirit than he had started it. Odd thing, that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!   
> Come say hi: harryhazzalou.tumblr.com  
> Any comments/kudos/suggestions would make my day, so please come talk to me!  
> Much love <3


End file.
